This invention relates to motor vehicles and more particularly to methods and apparatuses for mounting accessory power units in motor vehicles.
Utility company, construction, tree service, and other similar light and medium-duty trucks, including vans are often fitted with hydraulic lifts or other devices powered by an internal combustion engine of the trucks. One of the best selling vehicles for such applications is a FORD(copyright) truck, for example with a FORD(copyright) 250-550 Direct Injected Intercooled Diesel. FORD(copyright) trucks, like most motor vehicles, are produced in assembly plants and subsequently modified by truck service centers. Truck service centers currently mount accessory hydraulic pumps by use of accessory mounting kits which utilize many non-FORD(copyright) parts, including additional pulleys, complex brackets, extra belts in non-standard positions and shaft extensions. One example of such a conventional mounting system is the FMK 66-2 Belt Kit, for 1999 FORD(copyright) produced by CW Mill Equipment Co., Inc. of Sabetha, Kans. The CW Mill installation kit calls for more than 30 different parts, many non-standard. Installation of the CW Mill kit requires removing the alternator, removing the power steering pump, removing and replacing the power steering pump bracket, pulling and reinstalling the power steering pump pulley, adding a second drive belt and bolting a special pulley to the harmonic balancer, and numerous other operations. New trucks usually come with a manufacturer""s warranty, and the current truck engine accessory mounting systems with extra non-standard parts and non-standard belt positions may void the engine warranty, thus leaving the installer and the mounting kit manufacturer at possible liability for the engine warranty voided by the installation. This added risk is passed on to the customer in the form of a high installation charge. The manufacturer""s warranty, particularly on the engine, is very important to dealers, repairmen and customers because the cost of major engine repairs is high. For engine repairs, trucks with current accessory kits installed may have to be taken to a particular service center that handles that particular mounting kit, especially in view of the above noted warranty risks. That service center may not be nearby when the truck engine needs servicing. The complexity of current accessory mounting kits requires a substantial amount of labor for installation, such as for example about 6-8 hours, which adds further cost to the initial installation and any subsequent repair.
There is a need for an accessory mounting system that minimizes the use of non-standard parts and which minimizes the chance of voiding an OEM engine warranty.
In an exemplary embodiment, a method of installing a belt-driven accessory on a truck engine is provided which utilizes a simple special bracket and existing OEM parts. A typical situation where that might be desirable is in a truck having a hydraulic lift (not shown) needing a hydraulic fluid pump. The installation of the belt-driven accessory is done by use of a conventional dual alternator mounting modified by substituting for one of dual alternators a special mounting bracket adapted to attach to both the belt-driven accessory and one of the dual alternator mounts. The installation places the pulley of the accessory in the position where an alternator pulley would normally have been. This makes the addition of a hydraulic pump less complicated and can be done with all OEM parts except the adapter, adapter bolts and accessory. The manufacturer""s warranty should thus be unaffected and the installation time and cost are reduced from current systems.